homeschooling

There is something so wonderful about the last few weeks of winter. The snow starts to melt, the smell of mud and dirt is in the air, the robins return, trees are being tapped for sap, and winter boots are traded in for rubber (pink sparkly) rain boots.

I know there are still a few weeks left before Spring is officially here, but I think it’s safe to say that everyone is officially OVER winter. This week, we are lucky enough to have temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s, so it seems fitting to share a few of the books we will be reading this month to celebrate the changing of seasons:

Although it’s only the beginning of September, I’m officially declaring it “Fall” in our house.

It’s “back to school week” for most parents, which has me in the total “fall rhythm” mindset. Even though JBird isn’t headed off to school just yet (or possibly ever, since we plan on homeschooling her until at least first grade; then reassess from there), I still want to create a nice rhythm in our home to prepare us for the changing season AND new baby due to arrive only a few weeks from now.

Every day, we are going to do some sort of “mindful work” activity. Whether it be picking tomatoes from the garden, washing rocks in the sink, cleaning something in the house, or folding laundry; SOMETHING will be worked on each day. Young children love to feel like they are doing some sort of “work”; even if that work may seem insignificant to someone else. Feeling a sense of purpose in the home is a really wonderful feeling, even for very small children.

Today, we washed and polished acorns.

We spent the weekend camping with friends at a local state park and before we left I grabbed some acorns from our site. I knew it would be a fun activity for my JBird to work on this week.

The cleaned acorns will live in our play kitchen (along with cleaned peach pits) to be used in all sorts of imaginative food dishes. Eventually, they will be used as counting manipulatives and tools used for learning about the lifecycle of a tree; but right now, acorn soup (or tea, or cake) will be their main purpose.

I’m looking forward to these cooler months, and what they mean for our family. Our wedding anniversary, birthdays, new baby, and anniversary of being home owners are all celebrated in the fall. It’s “our” season. Finding unique ways to celebrate these events will also be a part of our home rhythm.

As the weeks go on, I’ll share more tales (and photos) or how we are shifting our focus from summer to fall (and the various activities we are adding to our home).

We also picked and washed a handful of ripe cherry tomatoes from our garden. They made a lovely pre-nap snack.